Experience hard to beat
PGA Tour's over-40s are a driving force
WHEN BOB Tway was 44, it was a very good year. In fact, the past couple of years on the PGA Tour have been more than kind to a number of 40-somethings supposedly well beyond their best-before date. When Tway sank a bogey putt on the third playoff hole at Hamilton Golf and Country Club to defeat Brad Faxon (another member of the over-40 club) for the 2003 Canadian Open title, he joined a long list of winners who were past their 40th birthday.
In all, 10 players over the age of 40 accounted for 13 titles in 2003. In 2004, five over-40s have accounted for eight titles. Vijay Singh is the poster child for all the late bloomers. He won four times last year and has very nearly overtaken Tiger Woods at the top of the world rankings by winning five more times at the age of 41 in 2004.
There are a variety of factors that have allowed players to linger at the top of their games supposedly beyond their peak years. Modern equipment certainly has made a big influence, as has the recent trend toward vigorous physical fitness programs. Then again, it may just be that on difficult, technical golf courses, experience must count for something.
"If you have experience and know the golf courses and have a certain amount of maturity, know how to control yourself on the golf course and play to your strengths, you can succeed," Loren Roberts said.
"Every player out here has one thing they can do better than anybody else. If you can play to those strengths and stay disciplined to do that, then I think older guys can compete out here."
There is no denying that technology is central to the resurgence of older players. Despite being of an age where distances might be expected to fall off, many admit they are hitting the ball farther off the tee than ever before. And when you can put a shorter iron in the hands of a smart, mature, experienced player, bet on age most of the time.
"There are ways for a player to hit the ball longer through fitness or new technology or instruction," said Kenny Perry, who has played the best golf of his life past the age of 40 the past two years.
"But there is absolutely no substitute for experience. All other things being equal, I'll take my experience every time. I have been competing against the best players in the world for a long time. There isn't much that I haven't seen or felt on a golf course that can surprise me or throw me off. That counts for a lot."
In addition to being a fine player and a gentleman, Tway's age made him a very appreciative champion. When he was a youngster on the PGA Tour, he remembers the Canadian Open as a very important stop, one that he was encouraged to compete in by players such as Jack Nicklaus and Lee Trevino.
His victory at Hamilton came 8 1/2 years after his previous PGA win, at the 1995 MCI Classic, a span of 233 events. It was also nearly 18 years after his first win, at the Andy Williams Open in 1986.
"I've always thought of it as a little bit bigger tournament than a normal stop because it's a national open. When I began playing in the 1980s, people kind of called it the fifth major. Guys like Nicklaus and Trevino always talked up the tournament."
This wasn't just a newly minted champion saying what he hoped his hosts wanted to hear. The proof is in his record. He first arrived at the Canadian Open in 1985 and the 2004 100th anniversary renewal this week will be his 19th appearance in the starting field.
His victory last year might be construed as an ode to persistence or it might very well be more proof that, in golf, you really never stop learning.
"At age 44, I don't feel that old," Tway said last September, "But it has been eight years between victories so it's obvious we don't get that many chances. It takes good fortune and good golf. That makes this very, very special."
During the eight years that separated his most recent wins, Tway had been in position several times but couldn't break through. He easily could have been thwarted again last year at Hamilton. Faxon, regarded as one of the best putters on the PGA Tour, had a five-foot putt for the championship on the second playoff hole that didn't fall. That gave Tway another chance at 18.
Mark O'Meara may have signalled this era of renaissance for old-timers when, in 1998, he became the oldest player to win two majors in one year when he captured the Masters and British Open titles. He subscribes to the power of self-belief.
"Golf is a cyclical game and it's a lot about confidence," he said.
Tway puts it more simply.
"The ball," Tway said, "doesn't know how old you are when you're hitting it."
